Ambrose Bierce
"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"
As you read, consider the sensory details that are included in Part III of the story. What effect do they add to the mood of this section?
Also record your own impressions of the story as a whole.
As you read, consider the sensory details that are included in Part III of the story. What effect do they add to the mood of this section?
Also record your own impressions of the story as a whole.
The sensory details help describe the pain that he is feeling and how close he is to death. At the beginning of Part III, it compares the pain to “streams of pulsating fire” (Bierce 14) to help describe what this pain feels like to him. It also creates the idea that he can feel but not think with how it focuses just on what he can feel and not what his thoughts are. Then it creates the idea that he is acting on instinct by having his hands struggle with the rope around his neck without him commanding them to do so. As he floats down the stream, the sensory details create the idea that he is narrowly avoiding death. Sometimes he avoids death through his own actions, such as when he dives underwater to avoid being shot; and other times he just gets lucky. When he washed up on the bank, his surroundings are compared to “diamonds, rubies, [and emeralds]” (17). Everything seems beautiful to him because he has narrowly escaped death. As he rushed home, the sensory details help describe the pain, thirst, and hunger that he is feeling. These details show that, though he is feeling pain, he ignores it to get home. His house and his family seem beautiful to him. There is a hopeful mood here because he escaped, but this is suddenly torn away when he feels a blow in the neck and dies, revealing that this escape was just the hopeful dreams of a desperate man who was about to die. Throughout this whole part, though he is in pain, there is an underlying hopeful mood. This is the hope that the man has as he imagines himself escaping his fate and seeing his family once more. There is also a sense of desperation throughout the story as he ignores all of his pain and pushes himself to survive. The way that the mood suddenly shifts as he dies demonstrates the suddenness of death. I thought that this story was very detailed, and the twist genuinely caught me off guard. Overall, I liked the story, even though the ending shocked and saddened me.
ReplyDeleteThe ending broke my heart! Also, you're totally right -- he was so oddly lucky throughout the whole story, just to die right at the end. Ouch. I felt as if he was so high from a rush of adrenaline that he was able to evade most physical struggles. It's like when someone is badly injured during a sport, but somehow manages to get back up off of the field and walk all the way towards the sidelines, if that makes any sense at all.
DeleteSensory details in the story help the reader feel the emotions that the main character does. In the beginning, the way Bierce describes the unit of military officers at the site of the hanging creates tension in the reader as they are described as armed and standing as still as statues. As the character glances at the view before him, as he feels helpless, and so does the reader; it establishes a sense of anxiety throughout the ordeal. The details of his lungs burning and his sore throat ads to this effect as well. Overall the sensory details are what make the story, in my opinion; it served as somewhat dreamlike as none of the middle events seemed realistic, which proved to be true as he was imagining it the whole time. I really liked it, along with the major plot twist at the end.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the military officers in the beginning help to create the tone and mood of the story. They create a sense of panic and uneasiness in the reader and in the man as he arrives on the bridge. The sensory details do have a great impact on the story as a whole and its effect on the reader. I like that you picked up on the dreamlike state that was hinted at, and the way the author described each action was as though I watched it all happen without missing a beat, which is enjoyable.
DeleteIn this story, every sensory detail leaves the reader hanging onto every word. My favorite part was the description as Peyton struggled in the water to flee his impending doom. The description is so clear I can picture each movement he makes as well as feel the immense pain he is in. Bierce perfectly matches the adrenaline rush of someone in that situation, which is intriguing to read. The sensory details portray the plot and become glaring as the seriousness of the story develops. Additionally, I was surprised that the ending was his imagination, except his death. His hallucinations from a loss of oxygen due to hanging felt real and depicted the nearness of death. Through a flashback, Peyton Fahrquhar thinks about his family and an earlier memory of them as he stands on the bridge. The memory, ironically, revolves around the consequences of those who trespass on or near the bridge that his wife informs him about. Although it is never explicitly stated, it is strongly suggested that Peyton was hanged because of trespassing. I like how this memory is tied into him believing he reached his wife and children after escaping; however, I partially wish it would have ended on a happier note.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The sensory details in this story are very descriptive and allow readers to easily imagine the scene. I also agree about Bierce being able to create both the feeling of pain and the feeling of an adrenaline rush. The ending surprised me too, and I also wish that it had a happier ending.
DeleteSuch descriptive and powerful sensory details, as seen in 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge', created a darker tone than already captured through diction. The specific details of the environment, ear-pounding noises, and emotion felt by the main character add to the depressing tone and creates a feeling of empathy within the reader. The adrenaline rush he feels in such a dire situation is somewhat relatable, of course in a much less extreme scenario. In some way, I interpreted his observations of fine details within his surroundings as appreciation for the simple, almost meaningless things -- at least in daily life, that is. While I did enjoy the story, I was a tad sad with the ending. I do understand that not everything has a happy ending, but I so desperately wanted the poor, clearly suffering man to finally reach his family one last time. It definitely stung a little to imagine him thinking of connecting with his wife after such a struggle to survive...only to die right after said thought.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that his heightened senses spoke to his newfound appreciation for the world around him; however, as I state in my blog post, I believe that his reunion with his wife was fictional. Nonetheless, it is certainly heart wrenching to think that Peyton perceived a reunion only to die suddenly afterwards.
Delete"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" uses vivid sensory details to give a dream-like quality to Peyton's daring "escape" from death. In the same way that modern action movies use intensified colors and sound effects to create a sense of heroism and fantasy, this short story uses intense color diction to convey a supernatural effect in part three of the short story. I found the sudden tone shift suspicious, to say the least, so when it was revealed that his escape was a fallacy, I was startled, but not surprised-- if that makes sense. The abrupt nature of the reveal literally made me flinch, but I anticipated that there would be a twist of some sort (no pun intended). Overall, I enjoyed the character exploration that this short story offered; it was easy to sympathize with Peyton for his desire to be a part of a cause he believed in, as well as his desire to see his wife and child. It was doubly interesting to watch him play out his escape fantasy. His dream-like rationale for nearly-impossible strokes of luck was very relatable and foreshadowed the ending. I find it odd that he would readily give crucial information regarding battle strategies to an unidentified soldier (which I'm assuming is the reason he was sentenced to hanging) when he seemed so dedicated to serving the South, but I suppose his eagerness blinded him to the dangers of the situation. This short story is probably my favorite so far.
ReplyDeleteI also saw the sudden tone shift as suspicious, and I can see how the nature of the reveal could cause a flinch. I think the story really showed just the tragedy of war in a roundabout way; for instance, how one could have everything ruined because of blind following for the war effort.
DeleteHot take--the vivid sensory details describe his journey to an afterlife. From the first part, the victim, Peyton Fahrquhar, gets distracted from his death; Bierce shows serene imagery when he thinks of his family and contrasts it with sharp hammer-like noises. The description is very vivid, it fades to black. Then light floods into the picture, and the rope is apparently broken; this is where my idea of passing on comes from. A considerable amount of the sensory language shows immense pain, such as pulses of pain and later bruises around his neck. However, the description transitions to serene pictures of nature. Once out of the river, Fahrquhar takes in the bank like precious gems and inhales the surrounding fragrances. Nature is described as a garden, which could stand in for some form of salvation. He suffers through the night and arrives to his family in the morning; tragically, everything is ripped away from him and readers see that he is dead. Perhaps this could mean that he ended up being damned? This was a really good short story and the description of everything was incredible. The mood seems rather depressing yet hauntingly serene at the same time; it's difficult to really describe it, but good writing leaves you thinking.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you really analyzed all the sensory details. You went more in depth with each image and I didn't really think about all that when I was reading. I agree that maybe he ended up being damned but why? Like you said, the whole thing leaves you thinking.
DeleteThe sensory details included in the story do a good job of making sure the reader has a clear image of what is going on. Additionally, the reader is able to actually feel the emotions Peyton was feeling. When he fell into the water, the reader could almost feel for themselves what he was feeling because of all the details. I really liked "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" because it's not like most other stories. While learning the background of the characters, you almost forget that a man is about to hang and take his last breath. The description of everything made it more enjoyable and easy to comprehend. Though I like the story, it does end tragically--as most short stories do. Just when you start to have hope for the ending, you realize Peyton is dead and the story ends just like any other.
ReplyDeleteI agree in that the detail is astounding, easily allowing the reader to follow along and understand Peyton's emotions. Kind of sad that he died at the end, knowing full well how much he wanted to reach his family once more. The ending hurts even more because of how his wife appeared to be just out of reach.
DeleteThe sensory details, particularly those in part three, throughout this short story create a vivid scene. The amount of detail in each and every one of the characters movements leave the reader hooked on the dilemma at hand, wondering what might come next. Suspense and well written action make the entire scene quite movie-esque. Each swift and painful movement felt by the main character, Peyton, can be easily imagined as it plays out. No change in emotion goes unnoted. Even as a whole, the story lacks description nowhere. From the way each soldier stands at guard, to the way Peyton struggles to find his breath once more, the detail is just astounding. I personally love all of this detail because I find that it makes the story that much more encapsulating. It’s amazing how Bierce successfully created a short scene that leaves no stone unturned, but also leaves the reader with unanswered questions.
ReplyDeleteI love your description of the imagery. I agree that the intense details portrayed in part III draw the reader in as Peyton struggles to survive. While this short story does leave the reader with un anserwed questions, I was pleased that the plot was more straightforward than other short stories we have read this year.
DeleteThe author of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” uses an incredible mix of imagery and foreshadowing to express the final thoughts of a dying man. With each part of the short story, Ambrose Bierce reveals details to the reader about why the man is to be hanged and how he hopes to escape his fate. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this short story, as it had the right mixture of powerful language and a good plot. The imagery employed in part III expresses the man’s memory of the vivid beauty in nature. Everything is described with intense detail, as everything becomes more focused right before you die. The man’s daydream about miraculously escaping the hanging and gunshots indicate that he is hoping to complete an impossible feat. Foreshadowing appeared in part III through the intense pain that the man feels despite escaping. The congestion in his head and the pain in his neck was a result of actually hanging. The end of the story was abrupt, which reflected the quick death that the man met as his neck snapped.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I didn't catch the foreshadowing myself but it makes sense. Using the congestion and pain in his neck makes sense for when he actually hangs and I didn't think about that. And I agree with the powerful language of seeing everything as beauty through eyes that were about to die.
DeleteThe sensory details in part three add a sense of excitement to the story. Focusing on every minute detail and change in emotion or pain, the author successfully entrances the reader, pushing them down the river along with Peyton. Preceding the action, the narrator states that Peyton fell straight "through the bridge" and lost conciousness. At that point, he passed out from the strangulation and just feels pain. When his imaginary self reaches the water, however, He starts thinking again, creating the lifelike dream he then lives through. His thoughts are very scattered in this dream because that is how someone in extreme pain thinks--sporadically. He also 'passes out' at different points in his amazing escape, representing his mind frantically moving up the times tables of his dream so he could reach his home. Just before he reaches his home, however, he walks down an unknown street where people whisper in unknown tongues. I think this symbolized his mind accepting the fact that he was dying for a moment, for the street with no places or fields to dwell represented the road to the afterlife, where there are many people with a different native tongue. Unfortunently, this epiphany by the mind did not last long, as he quickly changes the scene to that of his home, searching to find some internal happiness to balance out the immense pain of hanging. I liked this story
ReplyDeleteI didn't think about the fact that he 'passes out' which is basically him having flashes of his life. The strange tongue scene was very weird and I didn't initially get the point that was a symbol for his mind rationalizing its on death. I agree that his search for his home and finally reaching it is a final moment of happiness before actual death.
DeleteThe setting and imagery within “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is heavily detailed and helps the world to almost become its own character. The setting is described in equal detail as the main character, Peyton Farquar. By making the setting intertwined with the character and his fate, sensory details are elevated and the descriptions of them are reflective of the mental state of Farquar. Observations of the wooded area around the bridge as well as Farquhar's home show how the state of the environment is reflective of his level of optimism.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the short story so far. I like the twists that have become common in the stories and I think this is my favorite twist so far. Because the story was published in 1890, this may have been the first story to do and start the ‘dead all along’ cliche that is used more often now in film and writing. I can see similarities in the way that Bierce and Ernest Hemingway describe their locations and environments. Short, yet very descriptive sentences that flow very easily are a shared quality of the two stories. I really enjoy the styles of the two stories like the writing styles of the pieces.
I think you may be right about this story starting the dead all along idea. The setting does, indeed, add quite a bit to the story, making it all the more suspensful and intriguing. I am not sure that the observations of the forest reflect his optimism. Most of the descriptive language about the woodlands was depressing like dark and shady trees blocking out the light.
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